Escape
by jg2000
Summary: AU. Voldemort is still alive after 1981, but James and Lily are dead. Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass are from opposite sides of the ongoing war, but they have both escaped from the grasps of their sides' leaders. On one winter night in a forest, Daphne and Harry meet. The story goes on from here. This is my first fic, please read and review. Sorry the prologue is so short.
1. Prologue

She gradually slowed to a stop, panting and leaning on a tree for support. Her icy blue eyes scanned the forest carefully. After finding nothing suspicious in sight, Daphne sighed in relief. They're gone, they're gone now, you've lost them, she told herself repeatedly, but she couldn't quite believe this statement. Last time, they had nearly captured her. She could still see them clearly in her mind: the people she had once trusted, with creepy masks over their faces, firing curses at her from behind.

Life had been like this for over a year. The days of gossiping happily with Pansy and Astoria were long gone, and there was no point in dwelling on events from the past. If only her cowardly father hadn't tried to give her to the Dark Lord in hopes of paying off his large debt, Daphne thought bitterly, she would be at Hogwarts right now, learning magic with her friends without a single worry in her world. Daphne could recall the cold winter night the Dark Lord came for her perfectly. She remembered looking up into his pale, noseless face, feeling not honored as she was supposed to, but deathly afraid. She had taken the only choice she thought of afterwards. She ran. She ran far away from her beloved family home, away from her past, and wherever her skinny legs could take her. The Dark Lords followers had chased her into the darkness, shouting deadly curses and expletives at her. Daphne still couldn't believe she had survived that terrible night with nothing but a few bruises and scratches.

Daphne gently shook herself out of her thoughts. I might as well find a place to rest tonight, she mused, and began to search for a nice tree to sleep against. After wandering around for a few minutes in the snow covered forest, she spotted a large tree with smooth bark to lean on. Daphne took silent, slow steps toward the tree, as if something would attack her if she didn't. Suddenly, she saw something that nearly gave her a heart attack: a human body. Daphne snatched her wand out of her robe pocket instinctively, but lowered it after realizing the figure was asleep. He was thin and wore robes that were, if possible, more tattered than hers. He looked around the same age as she was, and had messy black hair and a pair of round glasses perched upon his nose.

Who was this guy, and what was he doing here?


	2. Two Runaways

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

_Who was this guy, and what was he doing here?_

Daphne wondered whether she should wake this person up, or move on and forget him. This could be a trap, she thought. He could be pretending to sleep, waiting for the right moment to attack me_._ However, this person didn't look particularly frightening, and after a few moments of staring at him, Daphne's curiosity got the best of her. Using her wand, she prodded the boy in the shoulder and took a large step back. Nothing. Daphne repeated her previous actions once more, hoping he would awaken. Nothing again. Abandoning her cautiousness, she strode over to the boy and shook him hard. His eyes flew open, revealing bright green irises. He looked around for a moment before their eyes met. Suddenly he scrambled to his feet, drawing out his wand in a flash. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I could ask you the same," Daphne replied, now irritated. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"That's none of your business," the black-haired boy snapped. "Why are _you_ here?"

"That's none of _your_ business," Daphne said. "Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts or something? You don't look like an adult."

The boy looked utterly confused. "What did you just say?"

"Hog. Warts." Daphne repeated. "You know, the school for witches and wizards? Or did you go somewhere else?"

"I've never heard of this Hogwarts. And what do you mean, _school_ for magic? He told me everybody was…" he trailed off. A look of comprehension slowly formed on his thin face. "Oh. Never mind."

Daphne still had more questions for him. A wizard in Britain who had never heard of Hogwarts? Insane. Unless he was from some other country…But he surely must have heard of Hogwarts? And he _did_ have a British accent. "How can you have never heard of Hogwarts? And who's 'he?'"

"No one ever-" he stopped suddenly and frowned at her. "Why am I even talking to you? You could be a Death Eater! Or someone hired by that secret-keeping bastard to capture me!"

Daphne bristled, her eyes narrowing. "Did you just call me a Death Eater? Why the hell would I want to serve the Dark Lord?! I've been running from his followers for over a year! Maybe _you're_ the Death Eater!"

The boy looked taken aback at Daphne's outburst and was at a loss for what to say. He seemed the slightest bit apologetic, too. After his voice came back to him, he said awkwardly, "Ok. I'll trust that you're telling the truth about that."

"As you should," Daphne huffed arrogantly.

"Um, I think we should start the conversation over. So, who are you?" he asked again.

Daphne hesitated for a moment, still suspicious. Could giving her name to this stranger lead to her capture? If this guy was a Death Eater, then yes, it definitely would. However, he didn't look like someone who'd work for the Dark Lord, and his response at her mention of Hogwarts seemed genuine. She decided to answer and forget the possible consequences, as she was curious about whom he was too. "Daphne Greengrass," she replied.

"Greengrass? I-I've heard your name before," he said, frowning.

"I'm not surprised. Greengrass is an old wizarding family name. So then, what's _your_ name?"

"I'm Harry Potter," he simply replied.

"Potter?" Daphne wondered out loud. It sounded vaguely familiar. She suddenly remembered something from a conversation long ago. "Aren't your parents dead?" She only realized how insensitive that sounded until she saw Harry Potter's expression change.

"I suppose," he gritted out.

"Oh," was all Daphne could manage. What would happen if her parents were dead? It wouldn't really affect her life now, though she supposed she would still feel sad, but mainly for her mother. What if her parents had died when she was only a year old, like what had happened to this Harry Potter? It probably would've been absolutely horrible. Daphne now felt sympathetic towards him, despite having just met him. "What are you doing here, then?" she asked, steering away from the previous topic.

"It-It's a long story," he said.

Daphne could tell he was rather reluctant to share the details of how he got here, but that just made her more curious. "We have a lot of time here," she responded.

Harry Potter looked at Daphne curiously before speaking. "Well, I happened to be at someone else's house the night my parents died. After Voldemort" Daphne flinched "murdered them, this man took me somewhere else."

"What man? Where did he take you?" Daphne interrupted. This was turning out to be rather interesting.

Harry practically spat out the name. "Dumbledore. He took me to the headquarters of-of the"

"Just say it," Daphne said impatiently.

"Order of the Phoenix," he finished.

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Daphne gasped. She had heard of this organization, founded with the goal of defeating the Dark Lord. After she had run away from home, she had considered going to the Order, but she thought they would never have believed her story.

Harry Potter nodded. "The very one. I basically lived there from then on. As soon as I showed signs of magic, around the age of five, Dumbledore and other members of the order began to teach me."

"So you didn't wait until you were eleven?" Daphne asked. "That's really unusual."

"Yeah," he confirmed. "They trained me hard, especially in combat spells and dueling. I was really good at that, too, so when I was twelve, they sent me on a mission."

Daphne was flabbergasted. A twelve year old on some _mission_?! "What did you have to _do_?" she asked urgently.

"I was supposed to capture a Death Eater and bring him back to headquarters. I think his name was Rosier, or something."

"Rosier?" Daphne gasped again. "I remember him! Well not really remember, but my parents mentioned him before!" She suddenly giggled.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"It's just-the mental picture of a twelve year old capturing someone like twice his age," Daphne said, laughing a bit more.

Harry laughed a bit too. "It _is_ rather amusing, isn't it?" he mused.

Daphne couldn't stop laughing now. This was funny, but not funny enough for the amount of laughter. It was at this point that she realized how much she missed having someone to interact with. It had been over a year since she had had a proper conversation with anybody.

"It's been a long time since I've actually laughed at anything," Harry commented, voicing her exact thoughts.

"It has been, hasn't it?" Daphne agreed.

"So what's your story?" Harry asked. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Daphne's smile slid from her face, and her icy blue eyes became stony. All of the lightheartedness from a few seconds ago had vanished. "It's also a long story," she replied. "About two years ago, my father made some bad choices-financial choices. I don't even know exactly what he did, but things went downhill pretty quickly. Our family was neutral in the war, but we had close ties to the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. My father made a deal with the Dark Lord over a year ago: If one of his daughters became a servant of the Dark Lord, he would be given the money to pay off his debts. Obviously, he chose _me_, the older one. Astoria was always too precious to him," she finished bitterly.

"That-That's just terrible," Harry responded softly.

"I didn't want to become a Death Eater, but I couldn't find a way out of it," Daphne continued, her voice cracking. "Life passed so slowly from then on. On the night I was supposed to take the mark, I ran away. A whole group of them chased me, and I barely managed to escape. They've been chasing me for over a year by now. I can never stay in one place for too long."

Tears threatened to fall from her now watery eyes. Daphne struggled to keep them from falling. She took deep, heavy breaths. "Are you alright?" Harry asked tentatively.

Daphne raised her head. Snow had begun to fall again. She nodded stiffly and changed the topic. "We should get some rest," she stated, and Harry didn't object.


	3. The Plan and Gringotts

Chapter 2: The Plan and Gringotts

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

Daphne's eyes popped open. She stared at her surroundings for a moment, wondering why she had been sleeping in a snowy forest. Her eyes landed on the person across from her, and the events of the previous night came flooding back. Slowly, Daphne stood up, brushing off any snow on her robes. Not being one to dawdle, she went straight over to where Harry was still asleep and shook his shoulders. His eyes flickered open. Upon seeing Daphne, he jumped up from his position on the ground. "So…" he began awkwardly.

"We need to start making plans today," Daphne stated, getting straight to the point.

Harry did not object. After the previous night's conversation, there were no doubts that they would be working together. "I don't know where to start," he said bluntly.

"We'll definitely need money," Daphne said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But I don't have nearly enough money in my pocket, obviously, and I can't get my inheritance from my parents until I'm of age or until they die." But wait! Harry's parents were dead, weren't they? She fixed her stare onto Harry. "Don't you have a Gringotts account, then?"

Harry frowned. "Not that I know of."

"But your parents _must_ have had an account! I mean, your father was from a wizarding family! But obviously Dumbledore must have taken control of it," Daphne said, finishing her own trail of thought.

"Dumbledore took control of my Gringotts account? Is that even allowed?" Harry asked in a part confused, part angry tone.

Daphne thought for a second. "Technically, it isn't, but as your circumstances were very…_odd_, I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore managed to find a way. From what you said yesterday, he isn't as kind as the rumors say."

"That old bastard!" Harry growled. "How are we going to take it back then? He probably still got permission from the goblins."

"There's no question of _whether_ we're going to get your vault back. The goblins don't take part in this war; they'll definitely let you have it, especially since it _is_ rightfully yours." Daphne said immediately. "But I don't know how we'll manage to get to Gringotts from here. I don't even know where this blasted forest is, besides that it's in Britain. Neither of us can apparate, either," she added, deep in thought. "Do you have any solutions? Anything anyone told you when you were at the Order?"

"I can't apparate," Harry admitted. "But we can take the Knight Bus, as long as we can find a road. We'll just need to disguise ourselves. Normally I would use Polyjuice, but since we don't have any here, we'll just have to use a bunch of different charms."

"Can you help with that then? I've never had much experience with disguising myself." Daphne had been on the run for over a year, but she never had a particular need for disguises, as no one except the Death Eaters and a few others actually recognized her.

"Sure," Harry agreed. "I'm an expert at it. But we should plan out what we're going to do after we go to Gringotts. Money can't be the only thing we need."

"I think we should know what our goals are. Both of us are against the Dark Lord, but that also puts us on the same side as Dumbledore. We also don't want to work with Dumbledore, though…" Daphne trailed off.

"So we work against Voldemort, but we don't get too cozy with Dumbledore," Harry finished her sentence.

"That sounds good," Daphne said. "But we don't have any information on the Dark Lord. How are we going to defeat him then? We can't just barge into wherever he is and say Avada Kedavra. We wouldn't stand a chance."

Daphne and Harry were both silent for a while, trying to think of ways to get information on Lord Voldemort. At last, it was Harry who spoke. "We could try manipulating both Dumbledore _and _Voldemort somehow."

Something inside of Daphne clicked. "I know! I could go to Dumbledore, and you could go to the Dark Lord! Think about it: an unfortunate girl being forced to become a Death Eater miraculously escapes and goes straight to Dumbledore, the leader of the light, for protection. Then there's the boy who's been lied to and manipulated for years by Dumbledore and goes to the Dark Lord, seeking revenge. It would be dangerous, but it isn't as if neither of us has ever been in danger before."

Harry was a little more reluctant to agree. "We should think about that more before acting. We could get killed if we're not careful about it."

Daphne decided this was an argument for later. "Alright. We should get to Gringotts today, though. It won't be very hard or dangerous, considering all we need to do is disguise ourselves and find transportation. Besides, we can't let Dumbledore take more of what he's probably taken already."

Harry grinned. "Then let's begin."

"Thanks for the ride," Harry said to Stan, the conductor of the Knight Bus, as he and Daphne got off. Daphne simply smiled and waved.

Daphne now had light brown hair instead of her usual blonde and dark brown eyes. Her hair was up in a French twist. Harry's hair remained black, but it was curly now. His eyes were a dark, eerie blue and his glasses had been changed into a more rectangular shape. Daphne knew no one could recognize them, but she was still nervous. They walked side by side towards the large white marble building, and luckily no one spared them a second glance. At last, they reached the steps in front of the bronze doors. Harry walked casually and seemed rather relaxed, probably because he had been in disguise numerous times. Daphne, however, walked stiffly without letting her head turn. As the pair strode down the aisle, Daphne noticed a very familiar person walking towards the exit. She could recognize the long blonde hair and cold grey eyes anywhere. Lucius Malfoy's expression turned to distaste as he saw the Muggle clothes Harry and Daphne wore. They had agreed that they couldn't go into Gringotts looking like beggars, and they wanted to avoid any awkward encounters, so Madam Malkin's was out of the question. The glare Malfoy shot them sent shivers down Daphne's spine. What was he doing here?

They finally reached the counter. "Hello," began Daphne. "We need to withdraw some money from a vault."

"Whose vault?" the goblin asked.

Daphne glanced at Harry before replying, "Harry Potter's."

The goblin eyed them suspiciously. "Harry Potter's vault, you say? I'm afraid I must deny you access to this vault."

Daphne's fists clenched. "And why is that?" she asked in a tone of forced calm.

"Someone already has control of that vault," the goblin drawled.

Daphne could not keep her frustration in any longer. "That vault does not belong to Dumbledore or whoever else claims it. If it once belonged to the Potter family, then it is the property of Harry Potter," she hissed, gesturing to Harry.

The goblin simply stared at Daphne for a moment, possibly thinking. At last, he said, "Very well. I will allow you to go to this vault, as long as one of you gives me proper identification."

"What kind of identification?" Harry asked.

The goblin produced some official looking documents and a quill. "Sign your name here. If you are the true owner of this vault, the ink will appear. If not, you will not be able to write anything."

Harry took the quill from the goblin and signed his name on the parchment. Daphne sighed in relief after the ink appeared, even though she knew it should've anyway. The goblin looked rather satisfied, for some reason. "I was hoping this day would come," he said, looking down at Harry's messy signature. Daphne wondered why he had made it so difficult if he had been hoping for this outcome.

The goblin set the document aside and held up a different document. "This," he said, "is the will of James and Lily Potter. It simply states that all of their belongings go to their son, Harry Potter, and no one else. It includes the official Potter family residence, too. I will have another goblin take you down to the vault."

Harry and Daphne scanned the will briefly. There was not much in it, but it _clearly_ said that no one but Harry could claim the vault and everything else listed. Stupid Dumbledore. At least the _true owner_ had finally claimed his property.

Harry and Daphne followed another goblin out the door leading to the railway tracks. The three of them clambered into the cart easily and sped off. Daphne almost laughed at Harry who was looking rather queasy on his first ride to his vault. Suddenly, the cart jerked to a stop. The goblin produced a key from his pocket and unlocked the small door, revealing an endless amount of coins, Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts alike. Daphne took out a small pouch, which she had put an Undetectable Extension charm on. While she held it open, Harry scooped large amounts of the three types of coins into the bag.

After they got off from the ride back, the goblin handed Harry the key and said, "This belongs to you now. Keep it safe."

"This place is big," Harry commented as he walked into the Potter family home. He and Daphne had taken the Knight Bus again to get here. They wandered further into the house and found themselves in a welcoming room with some dusty but comfortable chairs and a couch. The pair settled down in two large armchairs by the fireplace. "We need to decide what we're going to do next," Daphne said.

Harry nodded. "I was thinking about our plan to spy on Voldemort and Dumbledore. I don't know much about Hogwarts, but how would you feel going back there? In disguise, of course," he added.

This idea surprised Daphne. She had been expecting herself to go to Dumbledore personally and join the Order of the Phoenix. However, the more she thought about it, the more Harry's idea made sense. She could somehow find a way to get close to Dumbledore, but she could keep track of the professors and the children of Death Eaters. On top of that, the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord wouldn't be able to find her at Hogwarts. "That's actually a really good idea," she said to Harry, smiling slightly. "But I might have to find a way not to get sorted into Slytherin this time."

"Slytherin? Sorted?" Harry asked.

"Oops. I forgot you never went to Hogwarts. There are four houses at Hogwarts, each named after one of the four founders. They are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff. They each value different qualities within a person. Slytherin likes cunning and ambitious people. It also has an important emphasis on blood purity. I don't remember ever meeting a Muggle-born Slytherin. That was my house at Hogwarts. Ravenclaw values intelligence. Gryffindor mainly values bravery. Hufflepuff chooses people who are fair, loyal, and hardworking, but most people say it's the house for everyone who doesn't belong in one of the previous houses."

Harry frowned. "I feel like I'd be a mix of all four. What happens then?"

"The thing that sorts you, the Sorting Hat, chooses the house it thinks will be best for you," Daphne explained.

Harry frowned again. "Does Dumbledore have a preference?"

Daphne grimaced. "He was a Gryffindor, but I don't think it would be _bad_ to be in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. I don't think I'd have a chance to get him to trust me if I got put in Slytherin again, though. Slytherin has a rather dark reputation. The Dark Lord and most of his Death Eaters were Slytherins."

Harry nodded slowly. "You may have to find a way to get yourself placed in a different house, then, preferably Gryffindor."

Daphne agreed. "I don't know whether the Sorting Hat takes personal choice into opinion, though. Also, it would know who I really am. It can see into all of your thoughts."

"That's not very good," Harry said.

"But this is such a good opportunity; I think the risk is worth it." Daphne then smiled. "Look on the bright side. If I still get sorted into Slytherin, at least I can keep an even closer eye on the kids of Death Eaters."

Harry smiled as well. "That's definitely a good thing." Then, "I'm a bit hungry. Do you want to get a bite to eat?"

"Sure," was all Daphne said.

Author's Note: Thanks for all of the reviews! Keep it up! I honestly wasn't expecting so many views, either! I know there are a lot of you who read this but don't review. Please do. It means the world to me and I love hearing your opinions (Nothing mean, but constructive criticism is welcome). I'm going to try to make my chapters at least 2000 words from now on, too.


	4. Melinda Ruth Blaine, Sixth Year Student

Chapter 3: Melinda Ruth Blaine, Sixth Year Student

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

Daphne checked herself in the mirror one last time. She was _almost _used to her new look of brown hair and eyes. Almost. "Alright," she said to Harry, who sat on the couch, "We should probably go now."

Harry wordlessly rose from the couch. Today was the day the Hogwarts Express would be taking students back to Hogwarts after their winter holidays. Daphne and Harry had planned on having Daphne go on the train to Hogwarts and seek assistance from a professor upon arrival. The two of them walked out of the door of the house, where a Muggle taxi was parked. Daphne and Harry had decided not to ride the Knight Bus because they didn't want anyone to recognize their disguised forms. "King's Cross Station, please," Daphne told the driver as they climbed into the taxi. The driver nodded once before speeding off.

No one spoke during the ride. It had been rather quiet today. Daphne was jerked out of her thoughts when the driver had suddenly stopped and gruffly said, "Here we are."

Daphne got out of the car alone. They had decided not to have Harry go into platform Nine and Three-Quarters because he was uncomfortable with the thought of possibly seeing people he knew. After she simply waved to Harry, the taxi driver sped away once more. Daphne took her trunk and made her way towards the barrier. She walked through calmly after taking a last look at her surroundings.

The platform was the same as she remembered. Looking around, Daphne saw many familiar faces, although she couldn't name all of them. Then there appeared a face that made Daphne's blood run cold. _Astoria. _Her younger sister stood some distance away, with dark brown hair and the same icy blue eyes Daphne had. She stood without anyone beside her, looking lonely but arrogant. Where were their parents? A horrible thought made its way into Daphne's mind. What if their parents were dead? After the night she ran away, she had always told herself that she hated her parents, especially her father. However, Daphne knew she could never actually hate her parents, no matter what they had done. And although Daphne had always resented Astoria for being the favorite, she could not help but be worried. Their parents had never let either come to the platform alone, not for the four years that Daphne had attended Hogwarts.

However, now was not the time to be worrying about her younger sister. Daphne reviewed the plan she and Harry had devised a few days before. Daphne would go to Hogwarts as a sixth year under the name of Melinda Ruth Blaine. She would try to get sorted into a house other than Slytherin, preferably Gryffindor. She would have to get on good terms with all of the professors, especially Dumbledore and McGonagall, and also spy on the children of Death Eaters. It was feasible, but there was no room for mistakes.

Daphne carried her trunk onto the train and quickly found an empty compartment towards the back to sit in. She took out her Transfiguration book and started to read. Having skipped a full year of her education, she was nervous about how her skills would compare to others in her year. Not in Defense Against the Dark Arts, of course, though. Daphne was aware that she would probably be the best in that class, having had a lot of combat experience.

Just as Daphne began to read, the compartment door slid open, and two girls walked in. They looked about her age, and their faces were vaguely recognizable. Both had prefect badges on, but one had Gryffindor's colors while the other had Ravenclaw's. When they saw Daphne, the Gryffindor girl stopped and said, "Sorry. We didn't know-"

"Don't worry. You can stay here, if you want," Daphne interrupted. Making friends with these girls would likely be helpful later on.

"Oh. Okay," the Gryffindor girl replied. She had an average height and bushy brown hair. The other girl had black hair, darker skin, and was a little taller and slimmer than the first.

The Gryffindor girl looked at Daphne before frowning. "I've never seen you around before, and you look like you'd be in our year."

"I'm new. I used to be homeschooled, but things happened at home and I had to come here," Daphne said, trying her best to sound uncomfortable. In truth, she was not nervous at all about simply meeting new people.

Both girls looked slightly sympathetic now. "I'm sorry," the Gryffindor girl said. "It's nice to meet you though. We're both sixth years here," she continued, gesturing towards the Ravenclaw, "and I'm Hermione Granger and this is Padma Patil."

"Cool!" Daphne smiled. "I'm in sixth year too. My name's Melinda Blaine."

"Do you know what to do when we arrive? You need to be sorted first," Padma said, speaking for the first time.

"I have to go to see Professor Dumbledore before I go to dinner."

"We can take you to him," Hermione immediately said.

Daphne obviously already knew where to find Dumbledore, but she felt it was rude to refuse the offer. "Sure," she said. "Thanks."

"What house are you hoping to be in?" Padma asked.

"I'm alright with anything except for Slytherin," Daphne answered. The two girls nodded in agreement.

"Not all Slytherins are bad, but they have a dark reputation," Hermione said. "Some of them are absolutely vile. There's this one girl, Pansy Parkinson, who is simply horrible."

Daphne now felt extremely awkward, hearing others talk about her former best friend. "And there's also Draco Malfoy, who struts around the school like he owns it," added Padma. "They're both in our year, and the worst part is that they're prefects."

Daphne didn't really care much about Draco Malfoy. What Padma said was true, but Daphne had never been on the receiving end of his nastiness, so she never paid much attention to him. However, she was still uncomfortable with Hermione and Padma talking that way about Pansy, because Pansy had always been a good friend to her. Daphne's emotions must have shown in her face, for Hermione hastily added, "Don't worry though. Not all Slytherins are bad. There was one girl, Daphne Greengrass, who was quite okay. She _was_ a friend of Pansy's, but Padma once worked on a project with her, and she was fine. I don't know what happened to her, though. She never came back after fourth year."

The awkwardness had just tripled. Hearing others talk about her fellow housemates was one thing, but hearing others talk about _her_ was another, especially when they didn't know that Melinda Ruth Blaine was the same person as Daphne Rosalind Greengrass. Just then, the compartment door slid open once more, and Draco Malfoy and his sidekicks Crabbe and Goyle walked in. Hermione and Padma immediately stiffened, ready to attack. Malfoy focused his attention onto Hermione first. "Why hello, Granger? I can barely recognize you now. Your hair seems to have gotten even bushier over the break, if that's even possible," he smirked while Crabbe and Goyle laughed meanly.

"You shut up and go back to your own compartment," Padma hissed.

Malfoy simply laughed. "Sticking up for the Mudblood, aren't you, Patil? That's not a very wise decision."

Then he saw Daphne. He stared at her for a moment, before saying, "What's this? Another filthy Mudblood?"

Anger boiled in Daphne's stomach. She _hated_ being insulted. She drew out her wand, sticking it in Malfoy's face. "You're not in a good position to make threats, you know."

Hermione and Padma stared at her as if she were insane. Malfoy looked momentarily surprised, but he replaced the expression with a sneer. "I'm not afraid of you," he said, but there was still fear in his eyes. "What's the most someone like _you_ could do to _me_?"

"A lot more than you'd imagine. If you want to find out, just spit out one more offensive comment. I'm sure you have a whole stock of them ready to use," Daphne replied smoothly.

Malfoy looked genuinely angry now. He shot the three girls one contemptuous glare before jerking the door open and walking away, Crabbe and Goyle right after him.

Daphne sat back down with a huff. This confrontation had been enough to change her view of Draco Malfoy completely. After a moment of silence, Hermione said, "You looked like you were about to kill him, Melinda! While he'd deserve anything you'd do to him, I would advise against it. You could get in huge trouble for attacking another student."

Daphne rolled her eyes. Hermione seemed nice, but was too much of a stickler to the rules. "I'd happily take any detention or whatever they do here if I got to throw in a few good hexes at him. I see what you guys mean, though. He's horrible."

Hermione looked slightly nervous at Daphne's words. Padma laughed a little, saying, "I think you'll definitely be a Gryffindor, with your willingness to attack him like that."

"Hey!"

How odd. Daphne had always thought she might have to fight with the Sorting Hat to get into Gryffindor. In first year, the Hat had only considered her blood status, her name, and her arrogance before placing her in Slytherin. If Padma was correct, it might not be so hard after all. "That's great, then," she smiled.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Daphne, Hermione, and Padma talked about random subjects, ranging from school subjects to what would be for dinner. At last, they arrived at Hogwarts. The three girls stepped off of the train and quickly found a carriage to ride.

They were at the entrance. "Come on," Hermione beckoned to Padma and Daphne as they got off. They walked together inside. "We'll show you where Dumbledore's office is."

The three of them walked the short distance to the Headmaster's office. When they reached the stone gargoyle, Hermione stopped and slapped a hand to her forehead. "I forgot! There's a password to enter the office."

Padma took a guess. "Lemon drop?"

The gargoyle did not move. "Acid pop?" Hermione tried.

The three girls took turns guessing various sweets until Padma guessed 'chocolate frog.' The gargoyle suddenly stepped aside. "Wow," Hermione commented. They made their way up the staircase until they arrived at a door. Hermione knocked twice. The door opened, revealing Dumbledore. "Th-This is Melinda Blaine, Professor. She's new here, and she needs to be sorted," Hermione stammered, nervous at speaking to the Headmaster.

If Dumbledore was surprised that there would be a transfer student, he didn't show it. "Ah," he said. "Thank you, Miss Granger. You and Miss Patil may go to dinner now."

Daphne silently followed Dumbledore into his office. Sleeping portraits hung on the walls, and many interesting trinkets were everywhere. "Transfer student? What year are you in?" he asked.

"Sixth year, sir," Daphne said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Then you must decide which courses you are taking, too. What did you take before?"

Daphne wondered why Dumbledore didn't ask her about her past and why she was here. "I took Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology." Hopefully he wouldn't ask about her OWL scores.

Dumbledore didn't say anything except for, "Very well. You will continue these courses here, then. But you must be sorted now, of course."

Daphne sat down in an empty chair while Dumbledore took the Sorting Hat of a shelf. She felt it drop onto her head and over her eyes.

"It's you again. But you're under disguise now," the Hat said to her. "Very interesting."

"Don't put me in Slytherin again this time," Daphne told the Hat.

"No Slytherin? If you say so. Quite an adventure you've gone through this past year, eh?"

"I suppose."

"Very brave of you, that is. And you're not very prejudiced against Muggle-borns."

"I never really was, actually."

"I never said you were prejudiced before. Hoping for Gryffindor this time, aren't you? I guess I'll just give in to your wishes then. GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat cried.

Daphne took the Hat off and handed it to Dumbledore. "Your head of house will be Professor McGonagall, then," he told her.

Daphne smiled. "Alright then."

"You may go now."

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Daphne found herself sitting next to Hermione in the Great Hall a few minutes later. The food was just as good as she remembered. She also found herself being introduced to some of the other sixth years, including Lavender Brown, Padma Patil, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, and Ron Weasley, who was the only one she remembered. "This is Melinda Blaine, everyone," Hermione said. "She's in sixth year too, but she used to be homeschooled."

A chorus of 'nice to meet you' was heard from everyone. Daphne was quiet for most of the meal, not knowing exactly what to say. When dinner was finished, the group of Gryffindors stood and made their way to the Gryffindor common room, which was guarded by a portrait everyone called the Fat Lady. The common room was quite comfy, with a welcoming fireplace. Hermione showed Daphne the girls' sixth year dorm. "There's your bed," she said, pointing to the one at the far end of the room. "Your trunk's already been delivered. It's late. I suggest that we all go to bed. Classes start tomorrow morning."

Daphne merely nodded. It had been a long day, and everyone was sleepy. After getting ready for bed, Daphne quickly drifted off into a dreamless, calm sleep.

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Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited! Sorry there wasn't much Harry in this chapter. As I said in the previous chapter, I know there are a lot of readers who don't review. Please leave a review. It won't take long! Unless you want it to.


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